Paper Trail, Tasers in Yacht Murder Case

Oct. 9, 2008 — -- A former child actor accused of murdering an Arizona couple by handcuffing them, tying them to a boat anchor and throwing them overboard bought Tasers and handcuffs in the days leading up to the killings, according to witnesses who testified Wednesday.

Two store clerks testified that Skylar Deleon, 29, purchased the items at their respective stores, one a police uniform and supply store, the other a weapon shop, days before prosecutors say he helped kill Arizona couple Tom and Jackie Hawks on their yacht.

Deleon, who once appeared in the 1990s series "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," is on trial in Orange County, Calif., for allegedly murdering the Hawkses in 2004 and John Jarvi in 2003. If convicted, Deleon could face the death penalty.

Outside the trial of his father and stepmother's alleged killer, Ryan Hawks told ABC News he's holding up well, and that he's "been preparing myself for the last four years for this moment."

Deleon's attorney Gary Pohlson said in court Tuesday that his client had committed the murders, though prosecutors confirmed he has not changed his plea. Pohlson said Deleon shouldn't face the death penalty.

The Hawkses' murders involved a paper trail of falsified documents and questionable bank transactions, according to other witnesses who testified Wednesday.

Kathleen Harris, a notary who said she worked with Deleon and his ex-wife Jennifer Deleon, met the couple through a mutual friend named Adam Rohrig. Harris claims she met the couple at an extended-stay hotel, where they asked her to backdate and notarize documents they had laid out on the bed that were related to the Hawkses' boat.

In November 2004, the Hawkses had put their half-million-dollar, 55-foot yacht named Well Deserved up for sale so they could spend time with a new grandchild in Arizona. Prosecutors say Deleon plotted to steal the boat, enlisting the help of others to overpower the couple and force them to sign documents transferring the vessel to Deleon.

The group then allegedly handcuffed the Hawkses, tethered them to the ship's anchor and tossed them into the Pacific Ocean. Investigators have not recovered their bodies.

A jury convicted Jennifer Deleon for her role in the killings in 2006. She is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. Three other alleged co-conspirators will likely go to trial next year.

"I really didn't know it was going to be fraudulent," Harris said of the documents she notarized. Though her normal fee was between $50 and $250, the prosecution says she received $2000.

"I did not know how much he paid me until I got in the car," Harris said. But she also said that Jennifer Deleon promised her more money "when this is all over."

Harris said she didn't feel right about the transaction, so she called Rohrig to inquire further about the Deleons. She said Rohrig told her during a phone conversation several days later that she'd need to take care of more documents, or that Skylar Deleon, who he said had ties to the Mexican drug cartels, would come after her family.

"I was going to do whatever I needed for me and my family not to be killed," she said.

Rohrig, she said, then gave her physical descriptions of the Hawkses and "he told me to tell the detectives that I met Tom and Jackie by the yacht to sign the documents."

Harris admitted she repeatedly lied to investigators in interviews, saying she wanted to tell the truth, "but I was scared for my life. I was told he [Deleon] had killed over 20 people."

"I was always watching my back, I always felt like someone was after me," she added.

Harris received immunity from the prosecution in exchange for her cooperation.

Jurors also heard from employees of the Arizona bank where the Hawkses held an account, who said they encountered Skylar Deleon as he allegedly attempted to transfer the Hawkses' money to an account in Mexico.

Luann Kenney, one of the bank employees, testified that Deleon claimed to have power of attorney for the Hawkses, but that he became evasive when she asked to speak to the couple to discuss the money transfer.

The court also heard testimony about the death of John Jarvi, the other victim Deleon is alleged to have killed. Deleon and Jarvi met in a work furlough program while the former child actor was serving time on a burglary charge.

Michael Lewis, Deleon's cousin, took the stand Wednesday.

"We have nothing but sympathy for the Jarvi family," Ryan Hawks told ABC News. "We felt there's more truth to be told in Michael Lewis' testimony."

On the stand, Lewis said he and Deleon "were like brothers," but that after the December 2003 murder, his cousin turned on him, threatening him to fall in line with the Deleons' story about a trip to Mexico during which prosecutors believe Skylar Deleon killed Jarvi.

Lewis said that he was on a trip with Jarvi and Deleon and that from his car, "I saw him [Deleon] escorting him [Jarvi] out of the vehicle. He had a blindfold or something over his head."

Getting a bad feeling about the situation, "I turned around and booked to get out of there," Lewis told the court. "Something's not cool," he recalled thinking. "I don't need to be here."

Though he sped away from the scene, Lewis said his cousin soon caught up with him.

"Next thing I know, my cousin is flying by me, he is making a [neck] snapping gesture," Lewis said. He added that a character in "The Long Kiss Goodnight," one of Deleon's favorite movies, used the same signal. "He was really into neck holds and anything of that nature," Lewis said of his cousin.

Matt Murphy, the senior deputy district attorney who is prosecuting the case, showed Lewis a photo of a dead body with a visibly slashed throat, lying in the dirt in a remote area. He identified the man as Jarvi.

"Skylar had mentioned to me that 'this guy had screwed him over before,'" Lewis testified.

After he allegedly murdered Jarvi, Deleon went to dinner with his cousin. "He mentioned I was on his side now, switching to the dark side," Lewis said.

But Pohlson, Deleon's defense attorney, pointed out that Lewis had served eight months in jail on an accessory charge related to the Jarvi case and that he previously had lied to investigators.

Lewis admitted to lying to authorities, but said it was because Deleon had threatened him.

"He's lying like crazy and his testimony made no sense," Pohlson told ABC News outside the courthouse, referring to Lewis' testimony.